Stuffed Artichokes

As I said in my previous post, I decided to try and translate my grandmother's stuffed artichoke recipe to something easy to understand. I believe I knocked it out of the park on the first try. OK I'm lying, my sister is the person responsible for cracking the code.

We may have been a bit too generous with the stuffing, creating large pumpkin-sized full-course meals, rather than appetizers. If you use a lighter hand, however, you may be able to stuff additional artichokes, creating generous appetizer-size portions for your entire family.


Stuffed Artichokes

6 Medium-Large Artichokes
1 Whole Loaf of Sliced Bread
1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
10 oz. pkg. of button mushrooms
Salt & pepper to taste
Approx. 1/4 cup olive oil, or enough to moisten
2 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lemon

For Stuffing:
*Finely grate a whole loaf of sliced bread and add to a large mixing bowl
*Add salt and pepper to taste
*Add Parmesan cheese and mix well
*Mince mushrooms and sauté them in a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
*Add the mushrooms to the rest of the ingredients and mix together.
*Add juice of 1 lemon to mixture
*Add 1/4 cup olive oil to mixture

Cooking:
*Cut off a little of the top of the artichoke.
*Rinse out the artichoke
*Put enough water in a pan to cook, cover the artichokes about 1/2 the way
*Crush 2 cloves of garlic and add to pot
*Open up each artichoke leaf and stuff with the stuffing. Sprinkle with a little bit of oil.
*Put enough water in a pan to cook but not cover the artichokes.
*Bring to a boil, then immediately turn to simmer. Simmer slightly covered for 30-45 minutes.
*When the leaves come out easily, they're done.

How to Eat:
*Rip off each leaf, with stuffing attached, and scrape off with your teeth to enjoy